It’s high time I adress this topic that sparks more conversation than just about any other (food related) topic: dairy!
I have a very strong opinion about dairy, which is probably also why a lot of people in my personal life have begun reconsidering their consumption of something they grew up with. Something they never second-guessed before. I have some friends who have recently started omitting dairy for health reasons and from what I’ve gathered they are quite pleased with the results. One of my relatives is experimenting with consuming less dairy for her skin. My mom and brother have replaced milk with soymilk for skin & menopausal symptom improvement. But the biggest shocker? Even the boy made the resolution last week to go without dairy for some weeks to see if it affects how he feels. FYI: he’s a big dairy consumer and up until some weeks ago was a firm believer dairy is a health food, and necessary for human consumption.
No matter what the outcome will be, I love that so many people are starting to at least be more conscious of what they put in their bodies, and why!
Natural ?
In my opinion, dairy is one of the most unnatural food products in the world, up there with chemical sweeteners, candy, etc. Maybe you’ve heard it before, maybe you haven’t: we are the only animals in the world that consume the breastmilk of other animals. We are also the only animal on this planet who consume breastmilk after the appropriate age of, say, 2 years.
For those that believe milk and cheese are natural, wholesome products, think again. Milk (and all it’s derivatives: cheese, cream, ice-cream, whipped cream, etc) is pasteurized and homogenized. In other words, highly processed. Most dairy products nowadays are also stripped of their fats, adding one more processing step. Think about it: when’s the last time you drank raw, organic, full fat milk? The answer: when you were suckling your mothers breast…
Even though I am not a big fan of eating meat, I loathe the consumption of dairy even more. Meat can, theoretically, at least be somewhat natural. Humans are meant to eat meat (in very small amounts and not the processed meats we eat today, but I’ll save that for some other time!), but we are definitely not meant to consume dairy. Modern society ‘evolved’ this way because it is a cheap and easy way to get in loads of protein and fats. As you can understand, our modern society needs everything but excess proteins and fats…
Nutritional ?
Milk contains too much protein, fat and phosphorus (acidic) for human consumption, and is void of practically all other vitamins and minerals. The only nutrient (besides calcium) milk contains in a somewhat decent amount is B2: one 150 ml glass contains little under 25% DRI. In comparison: mushrooms contain 45% for half the calories! Other excellent B2 sources: tempeh, spinach, asparagus, Romaine, green peas, soy beans and almonds. My point: there’s really no point in drinking milk.
OMFG: calcium ?
Big studies have discovered links between dairy consumption and osteoporosis and diabetes type 2. They found that the societies with the highest dairy intakes (US, Finland) had the highest incidence of osteoporosis (weak bones disease) and diabates type 2. Conversely, the society with the lowest dairy intake (Japan) had the lowest incidence of these diseases, and less hip fractures (due to brittle bones).
Obviously, dairy is not as good for our bones (and teeth!) as some people claim it to be. Yes, dairy is very high in calcium, but strong bones and teeth are not just a matter of sufficient calcium consumption. Bones and teeth depend on a good calcium balance, which is the sum of consumption, absorption & excretion. For example: exercising and some sun (vitamin D) greatly increase your absorption of calcium, thus enhancing your calcium balance. Sodium and coffee inhibit calcium absorption. Blood that is too acidic, for example from eating too many acidic foods (soda, meat, refined flour and sugar, alcohol, etc), will leach calcium from your bones and teeth because calcium is highly alkaline, and works as a buffer for the acidity of the blood. This calcium is excreted afterwards, creating a negative calcium balance. Dairy itself is fairly neutral: the animal proteins are very acidic, the calcium neutralizes it. So all in all, dairy products, even though high in calcium, don’t greatly contribute to your calcium balance.
Cruelty-Free ?
If you, like many other people, are under the assumption dairy is not that a big a deal, I beg to differ. Just because dairy cows don’t end up as a steak on your plate, doesn’t mean these animals were treated like, well, animals. Dairy cows are treated like products, maybe even more so than meat cows. Also get rid of that utopian though that dairy cows, once they become too old, get shipped off to a nice farm where they can spend their old days with grace. Once a dairy cows loses ‘productivity’, she gets killed, just like the cows for meat production (or, bulls). Basically, dairy cows are worse off than meat cows! They are kept alive in abismal circumstances for much longer than bulls and get killed in the end anyway. So please, if you consider meat to be murder, or at least cruel, know that dairy is just as cruel, if not more….
Healthy ?
Even though humans have grown accustomed to drinking milk, eating cheese and consuming tons of other products with hidden dairy, our physiology hasn’t caught up yet! Cow’s milk is the number one allergy in the world and to top it all of, as much as 75% of the world population is lactose intolerant, meaning you have a hard time digestion the lactose in dairy (note: this number includes Asians & blacks which have a higher incidence of lactose intolerance than Caucasians but still, the number is frightingly high!).
Wat does this mean for our health? Sadly, a plethora of health problems; skin problems; acne, rashes, eczema; weakened immune system, frequent or chronic colds/flu’s, digestive problems; painful stomach, gas, bloating; joint inflammation (especially bad for those suffering from reumathoid arthritis), migraines, osteoporosis.
Then how is it dairy can be perveyed as such a health food? One word: marketing. The dairy industry is not some small cutesy organisation that tries to make the world a better place. The dairy industry is an enormous, powerful, wealthy and profit-driven organisation that tries to make… profit. At any expense. Take for example the huge ad campaigns for dairy starring all kinds of (random) celebrities. Got Milk? Got propaganda! If dairy was an honest to God health food, it needn’t million dollar ad campaigns. It needn’t to lobby the government and give ‘educational’ materials to lower & middle schools to ‘teach’ kids about the ‘health’ benefits of dairy. The dairy industry has got money, and therefore power, and has a foot between every door: the government, dieticians, researchers, schools.
Off topic: hubba hubba! (the tats that is…)
For me, personally, I figured out (once I kicked the dairy habit) that dairy was the #1 cause of my troubled skin, it caused stomach problems (bloating and stomach/bowel problems) and chronic nasel congestion. Once I went vegan my skin went from acne-like to pretty much spotless and my colds reduced dramtically (until I got Isa, haha). It’s not like I never experience any digestion problems or bloating anymore, but it’s definitely decreased.
This is not to say everyone will experience the same, but it does go to show it’s worth a shot! I never linked any of my issues to dairy either, until I quit. My advise is that if you suffer from any of the health problems mentioned above, or you have another reason to suspect dairy might not be doing your body good, cut out dairy for at least 4, but rather 6 weeks. Write a short recap after every week to see if there’s improvement in any of your conditions. If by the end of 4-6 weeks you are satisfied with the results, then keep it up! If not, then dairy might indeed not be the root of your ailments (but as shown in this post, there’s more reasons than current health problems to quit the dairy!).
Sorry for this rather long winded post, but it’s a post I have been meaning to write for a long time now and as you can tell, a topic I am very passionate about! I feel dairy is such an underrated yet serious problem, much as with fish (I will write a post on this soon too). So little people realize and fully understand what dairy is, where it comes from, what cruelty hides behind this practise. I am very happy to see awareness in people grow about meat, yet dairy is falling behind dramatically 
.
Do you consume dairy? Have you ever stood still at the implications? Do you think some of your ailments could be ascribed to dairy? Are you willing to challenge yourself and consume no (or less) dairy for 4 weeks to see what happens?!
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Sabine
PS: please share this post to spread the message!
PPS: bonus points for whom got the reference in the title! Katie & Carrie, I’m counting on you 
Sabine I am so happy that you posted this. I have been wanting to get off dairy for awhile now and this post makes it SOOOO clear that I should do it. Thank you so much for this – really. I will definitely be sharing!!
xoxo
You’re welcome doll!
Joey!! A least that’s who I’m thinking about when I hear someone talking about a moo point
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Since the detox I’m cutting back on dairy dramatically. It’s mainly for health reasons (skin) and because I want to cut back on processed foods. I still have issues with the point that consuming dairy is cruel, because I’m from the countryside and used to play on (dairy) farms when I was a kid (because I had friends who lived on a farm, because an uncle owned a farm). The cows were in the meadow like all the time and were taking care of very properly. My uncle owned a small farm and he never could let go of cows that didn’t produce enough milk anymore, so he would keep them.
I know now that those cows are usually taken away to get slaughtered, so I can see that point you’re making. I also can see the point that consuming another animal’s breastmilk is unnatural, as is the way they make the cows produce it during such a long time. So it leaves enough reasons for me not to eat dairy anymore (or at least cut back dramatically). But to say all those cows have cruel lives: no, I cannot say yes to that. If I see my uncle on his farm (I can’t anymore, he passed away a couple of years ago) I only see the way he really loved his cows and took care of them with all his heart.
I hope I don’t offend anyone by writing this, but that’s just how I see it.
‘Definitely not offending! Just realize that 99% of all dairy products come cows from inustrial farming, which could not be further from happy meadow cows, sadly!
You’re probably right about that! I think for every cow that we see in the meadow, there are a whole lot of cows that never see the sun in it’s entire life. So sad.. And the worst part is that dairy-sellers always make us believe that all the cows frolic around like that!
ps: YES, joey
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and yes that is exactly my point with this post. It’s not like 100% of cows are treated badly, and it’s not as though 100% of people cannot digest dairy, I am talking about the majority of what’s happening
Haha I knew it! Joey and co feel like they are my friends a little bit. And yes, I’ve got the dvd-box…
And you’re right. If you would talk about all the exeptions that excist, your blog would take a day to read! I told you before I’m a romantic fool, and I think the story of my uncle is one of those stories. I tend to romanticize it, making it the truth for all cows because I want it to be, but unfortunately it’s not the truth at all most of the time..
I personally think that -for people with a healthy digestion- it definitely can be healthy to add moderate amounts (say a few portions a week) of fully fermented organic dairy.
That it doesn’t work for you*, doesn’t mean it works for no one. Nutrition is not that black&white, you just have to know what you are doing (i.e. proper preparation, combining and moderation) and listen to your bodies responses.
I think you have to make a distinction between the processed shit in the supermarket and organic properly prepared dairy from happy cows.
I totally agree with the calcium myth, the lies and manipulation of the industry. Not to forget the animal abuse, people don’t see it, so it doesn’t exist. Well, it does!
Since you’ve been looking into Ayurveda lately: I’m curious what you think about them seeing dairy as “Sattvic”?
I love the Ayurvedic knowledge and for me it is a strong argument for the fact that dairy is not necessarily poisonous, but I do have trouble with this generalizing statement. Even with proper preparation –fermentation/herbs/food combining/time of day- I find it hard to believe that it is super good for body&mind. (and…also very confusing..what about lactose, aren’t Asians supposed to be lactose intolerant?!)
*not as in youyou, just general. Strong opinions provoke strong reactions, so… just to make sure you know I’m not attacking you
Love your blog way too much!
I agree with what a lot of what you say but I don’t agree dairy is healthy if you can digest it. I can digest candy, does not mean it’s healthy nor natural, if you get what I’m saying
. because the digestion part only relates to the lactose in dairy, but there’s many other things to consider (lack of nutrients, acidicty, allergies, mucus forming). fermentation also does not get rid of these problems!
I made sure to put emphasize that my personal experiences shouldn’t be seen as a general rule, I always make sure to make that clear.
i’m afraid i cant answer your questions about ayurveda & dairy very well. I am reading up on ayurveda but my knowledge is still too limited. i do know that I dont agree with all that ayurveda entails, and dairy is one of them. i think it’s noteworthy that even in ayurveda they caution you for too much dairy and proper combining…
Hi Sabine
very interesting post, but I have questions about the alternatives as well. I’ve been reading on a few blogs lately that soymilk and yoghurts aren’t the way to go either, because of hormones. Since I started drinking soymilk instead of cow’s milk, my period has become very irregular, to the point of “a dry spell” up to four months. I would be very interested to know if you have more information about this. I really like the taste of soymilk, but it would be probably better to try the array of other available milks I guess.
Hey Sonja, if soy is gving you such problems than I’d advice to stop consuming it per immidiately! I cannot say whether or not soy is (un)healthy because quite frankly, no-one is sure about this yet! all i know is it’s best to consume soy in its least processed state (soy beans, edamame, tofu and tempeh are pretty unprocessed too). the more processed (GM soy in a plethora of products, soy milk, soy yogurt) should be considered in very small amounts, and not at all if you experience problems. soy can both be protective of cancer and can increase the risk, depending also on your genetic make-up. almond milk, oat milk & rice milk are possible subs!
Thanks for your remark. I actually don’t know for certain if the two (my drinking soy milk and problems with my period) correlate, I just thought this could be one of the reasons, because you hear things about soy messing with your hormone levels. Since there are several interesting alternatives at hand, I’ll stop the soy for now and see if the problems stop.
Last time I drank raw whole milk was… with my cereal a few weeks ago
I work at a food co-op that proudly sells raw milk and I love it. It’s very expensive though, so I usually get almond milk (so much better than soy). As far as dairy goes, I believe it’s fine in moderation and it must be organic. I consume limited amounts of dairy and whenever I do, it’s not going to be conventional crap stripped of it’s nutrients and stuffed with god knows what.
Love your take on milk/dairy! unfortunately, I can safely assume this is not how most people consume dairy
I’ve been reconsidering my use of dairy for a while now, because I recognise the troubled skin and stomach problems, and recently I’ve become more bothered with the way cows are treated, and how weird the idea is that I’m drinking milk from another animal. However, I’ve been raised with milk every. single. day. I still use it in my oatmeal and I need to have a glass before I go to sleep. I’m also a bit hesitant to using soymilk, because I’ve heard several negative things about it (though I didn’t look into it that much). Can I use almond milk? Does the taste compare to cow’s milk?
I really want to try cutting dairy out for 4 weeks as a challenge, but I’m not really sure I would be able to make it..
But thanks for the informative post!
Hi Eveline, I was raised on dairy every day as well, and when my eating disorder got worse, the more (non fat) dairy I consumed. I literally lived off of fat free yogurt & quark, so it is possible!
the best advice I can give to anyone venturing out to milk substitutes is to NOT expect the taste of (cows) milk! if you expect a similar taste, it can be quite hard getting used to. expect instead a drink with milk like properties but a different taste. when I first drank soymilk I did not like it at ALL. but I got used to soymilk fast and when I drank cows milk I was disgusted, case in point: its a matter of getting used to it!
I’ll be sure to try almond milk in that case! When making it, how long can it be kept for?
Also, I had a bit of a ‘D’oh!’ moment yesterday, since I just started eating a lot of quark recently, because it’s a very easy protein source and I can easily squeeze it in as a snack and combine it with berries and other fruit. Would you know how I can sub this? Soy-yoghurt perhaps?
Sorry for bombarding you with questions!
LOVED THIS ARTICLE!! im so against the dairy industry too-
best quote ever:
“Think about it: when’s the last time you drank raw, organic, full fat milk? The answer: when you were suckling your mothers breast…”
LOVE IT…. wait.. i DONt get the title! ahh! i suck as these things- you better tell me!
I’ve been having some skin problem.
And I’ve been drinking milk at least 500ml per a day. Sometimes 1L…
I always thought that it’s because i don’t eat enough food but even after i started intuitive eating, i still have same problem, if not more.
I was just thinking that it might be caused by my dairy consumptions.
Thank you for a perfect timing!!!
And after I sent you an email about my ED, everything’s been going great. (i’m not sure you remember me though)
Thank you again! Have a great day <3
Of course I remember you, you emailed me after my ‘for the love of yourself’ post
. Good to hear from you again, and that things are going so well! Especially Asians can digest dairy very badly (you are Asian right?? if I remember incorrect I’m sorry haha), so it’s def worth a try!
I quit drinking cow’s milk several years ago after a disgusting article I read. I’ve been really happy with almond milk as a replacement. I still eat cheese about once a week, mainly because I’ve tried the vegan replacements and decided that they didn’t taste good enough and had too much junk in them. I’d rather eat the real thing rarely than crap all the time. I totally agree with everything in this post though. I firmly believe that cow’s milk is intended for baby cows alone and that there is no need for humans to consume dairy after infancy (except in maybe some extreme situations, but of course theres a hypothetical answer for anything.) Going nearly dairy free really has changed my skin incredibly. I wish I knew that was part of the answer when I was a teenager!
I so agree with that last part! my skin was horrible!
My body has NEVER responded well to dairy, once I cut it out I felt SO good. Don’t miss it at all now
This is an interesting post!
I never eat dairy food, I’m lactose intolerant.
Instead of yogurt I eat yofu (soy yogurt) and instead of milk (oatmeal) I usually use almond milk or soy milk.
I never eat cheese, neither chocolate, ice cream, …
But I really miss the good taste of cheese, like goat cheese.
Oh, today I made a parody on your rawnola recipe.
I made a few changes and just ‘dried’ it in the oven because I don’t have a dehydrator. I’m jealous about that!
I’ve also been cutting out dairy (it’s been a rough habit to break, I was pretty much addicted to cheese…) and so far have seen improvement in my acne. I also don’t get that upset tummy feeling in my belly after I eat as much as I used to. I think I may cut it out entirely like you suggest for a few weeks to see how these things continue to improve. ^_^
good luck sweety!
I stopped eating dairy for awhile because of my IBS so I kinda wanted to test the idea of what was causing it and even though I did feel better I don’t think it was milk. I don’t really drink milk but I consume dairy products. I love greek yogurt and cottage cheese but as for needing to drink a glass of milk each day? Totally unnecessary
Sabine, this post is AMAZING!! I’ve been wondering for so long why you cut out dairy and now I totally understand..
Although I have been making a lot of progress cutting out dairy, this post is a real eye opener..
After New York..I’m eliminating dairy from my diet.. No more
-cheese
-milk
-yoghurt
-ice cream
Giving up Ice cream will be the biggest thing ever for me.. I heart icecream!!
But that being said, I just munched a big ice cream ( with my grandma on a sunny terras, grandma’s have that effect :p)and I feel lethargic, tired and bloathed…
Fortunately my grandma still had an old Icemaker somewhere, she told me I could have it..
Soy yoghurt ice cream? Soy milk ice cream.. Sounds good to me !!
)
Hey babe! I think cutting out dairy will make you feel much better, based on what you just wrote! don’t go overboard with the soy either though, as soy *can* have negative side effects. basically, it’s still a processed product! but not to worry, you can make awesome ice-cream, even without soy AND dairy. frozen fruit works fab! so jealous of your icecream maker haha
True.. Ice cream can be made with coconut milk as well
)
Any idea if they sell almond milk anywhere in the Netherlands or Belgium? I haven’t seen it yet..
Ice cream?… we make our own!… what taste ice cream?… sugar and fat!… So with the Vitamix, put one frozen banana, 1 cup frozen mangos, 1 cup rasberry or blueberry. This is for the sugar taste. And add half a cup of brazil and/or cashew for the fat taste!… add vanilla or mint or flax seeds or or or !!!!… Yes!… save the cows with their saturaded fats!
p.s. this post is very tasty!
sounds great Christian!
I agree with most of this, especially concerning animal welfare. I do eat dairy though. It doesn’t give me any health problems and never has, and I do love the taste of blue cheese. More than anything actually (well besides chocolate).I’ve tried going vegan 8-10 times in my 12 years of being vegetarian. And I’ve never succeeded (yet?) Being low on zinc doesn’t make it easier either. I actually feel worse without dairy, even after 2 months i had constant colds, which I normally never have. Taking zincpills helps but i prefer not to rely on those too much. And then the social aspect, if you don’t eat meat and also dairy what should we make for you, to which restaurant can we still go?
So I was wondering, any tips? I would really like to eat less/little/no dairy but it’s really difficult for me.
Love your blog.
Hi Eveline thanks for commenting, it’s really interesting to see experiences like this too!
ok let’s see: low zinc can indeed cause more frequent colds, since zinc is essential for a good immune system. does your doc have any idea why you’re low on zinc? what I don’t get though is why dairy could help with your zinc, dairy is not really a good source for it! 1 LITER of milk would only provide about 45% of what you need in a day… not very efficient
. some good sources of zinc are: mushrooms, green peas, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds. these all contain the same or more zinc than yogurt (which is already a better source than milk). how this helps a little?
ps as far as going out for dinner goes, I prefer not to, but that’s just me. I love preparing my own food ans spending money on nourishing food instead of fancy food, but I of course understand the value of going out for dinner. but why label yourself? you could (try) and go vegan, and make the exeption for when you go out to dinner, because its easier.
I’m not exactly sure what it is yet. My zinc is too low, copper a little tiny bit high, not too high though . I’m not a diabetic, don’t have celiac disease, and no allergies either. So probably I just don’t absorb zinc very well. I’ve been told that there’s something (polyphenols? not sure) in most vegetables (and vegan food in general) which makes it harder to absorb certain minerals and zinc is one of those. And therefore zinc in dairy, eggs and meats is more easily absorbed. And then there is all the copper from all veggie foods which might make it even harder. Since it’s so clear that I get colds en concentration problems when I stop eating dairy this could be the explanation. According to my “docs” it’s the most likely. Zinc pills do help, strange enough I don’t have problems with absorbing those. I do eat plenty of pumpkin seeds, bamboo shoots, beans, nuts, veggies etc. There are a few other options, but this post is already to long. It’s kind of weird though that I get this after all these years.
Ik hoop niet dat het een probleempje is, maar ik ga even schrijven in het Nederlands.
Ik ben nu langzamerhand ook bezig met het afschrijven van de zuivel uit mijn dieet. Waar ik echter wel tegenaan loop is dat toch allemaal lactose-dingetjes in zoveel zitten. Boter, yoghurt, melk en die obvious dingetjes gaan allemaal wel qua eliminatie. Maar als het ook reikt naar brood, vind ik dat wel irritant.
Mijn reden ligt trouwens voornamelijk bij het feit dat mijn maag steeds minder lijkt te kunnen handelen. En ik wil daarom maar kijken of het verwijderen van zuivel uit het dieet een positieve uitwerking kan hebben.
Ik heb echter toch meer de veronderstelling dat het ligt bij tarwe…
Gezien jouw studie, vroeg ik mij af of jij wellicht tips hebt om een beetje te kunnen achterhalen welke bron voor de geprikkelde darmen zorgt? Ik zag jouw laatst over spelt-brood, ervaarde jij verschil met hoe je lichaam daarop reageerde?
Ik heb in ieder geval gemerkt dat al die lekkere salades die ik op je site zie niet helemaal goed vallen.
Naja, allemaal gebla, ik ben in ieder geval benieuwd of jij misschien wat tips hebt qua voeding tegen geprikkelde darmen…
Liefs van mij
Hey Amber, geen probleem hoor!
De beste manier om een allergie/intolerantie op te sporen is door eliminatie en re-introductie. je kunt dit een voor een doen, of, wat sneller is: alle mogelijke allergenen in één keer verwijderen voor, zeg, 4 weken, en dan een voor een re-introduceren. de meest voorkomende zijn: tarwe, soja, ei, melk. maar zoals je begrijpt, kan alles in 1 keer vrij lastig zijn. maar 1 voor 1 duurt dus wel langer. ook een optie: naar je huisarts gaan en een soort van exposion doen: gedurende 2 weken eet je juist héél veel van daar waar je gevoelig voor denkt te zijn/kan zijn, en daarna wordt er bloed geprikt en onderzoeken ze je bloed. in die twee weken zul je je niet zo top voelen
.
tarwe is inderdaad wel een heel veel voorkomende, hoop dat je erachter komt!
Tnx voor je reply!
Je hebt het over tarwe trouwens, zou je dan aanraden om tarwevrij, of meteen glutenvrij eten uit te proberen?
Blugh wat een gedoe haha.
Oh sorry ik gebruik de term een beetje te losjes, het gaat inderdaad om gluten. spelt en kamut hebben wel gluten maar minder en is beter te verdragen, maar als je je lichaam echt goed wilt testen kun je beter een tijdje GLUTEN vermijden
Omg! I love this! I try and tell people ALL THE TIME how horrible milk and dairy products are for people, but everyone just tells me to be quiet and quit preaching my vegan-B.S. Yeah, just like that too. It can be so frustrating when I see people all the time suffering from all these problems, but they refuse to believe that eliminating milk and dairy will solve most (or at least some) of them! Before I went vegan the first time (back in ’08), I was a HUGE dairy consumer. I loved milk and yogurt! But after going vegan I felt better. One day I cracked and ended up back at vegetarianism, and guess what? My body didn’t want the dairy so much that I developed lactose-intolerance, and couldn’t eat dairy without serious problems anyway. I’m vegan again, and very proud! More people need to read this. Seriously. Thank you for such an informative post!
Haha omg, we vegans are so annoying
. well, so be it then. I get frustrated sometimes too, but I try and focus my energy now more on people who are actually interested in hearing what i have to say, and avoid preaching! I’ll be more than happy to provide information but I hardly start conversations about veganism myself. I’ll leave that for the activists 
. we also have to consider even though a lot of OUR health problems could be traced back to dairy (or meat, or whatever), this is not per se the case for everyone else. but I always stress: it’s worth trying!
Inspired by your detox challenge I’ve drastically reduced my dairy intake. Soy yoghurt is one of my favorite desserts, and I occasionally have some soy, oat, or rice milk on my muesli. I don’t want to give up dairy completely, but I’m keeping it to a minimum. It’s just easier to have dairy as an option, especially when eating out. Plus, I really love cheese, but I see it as an occasional indulgence, not the daily staple that it used to be.
I’ve noticed that I don’t need dairy as much as I thought. Quite the opposite, I feel somehow ‘lighter’ without dairy. I guess my body doesn’t like animal fat and protein.
Hey Sue, great approach! Most sugars are not too healthy either (even the natural ones) but I wouldnt cut them out of my life! Dairy for me is foremost an ethical decision which is why I wont induldge in it either but from a health perspective, I admire your approach
(ps I lived off of fat free dairy & cheese too haha)
Hello Sabine,
such a good timing for this article:) I guess you inspired many people with the 21 day challenge and it seems to me that most of us wanted to to at least try to give up something from that long list. I chose dairy. I have to say that I quite like dairy products, especially yogurts but it is not anything that I cannot live without…well at least so I thought before I started the challenge. Dairy is almost everywhere! I mentioned to my housemates that I will try to eat dairy free products for some time and was so funny when they caught me eating goats cheese which I bought especially for this diet. Don’t laugh but somehow I forgot that dairy does not cover cow’s milk only but other animal’s milk as well. Well, I learned my lesson:) So now I am using soy or rice milk and started to research more and was shocked by finding that soy milk is not that healthy either. Oh dear! I am glad I really like the taste of rice milk, especially in smoothees and I hope I won’t find out soon that this one is not healthy either:)Btw big question! I try to eat healthily and have no problems eating vegetarian dishes, etc. However, I am very confused about what my body actually needs in a day. How much protein, how much sacharides, etc in a day do we need? How much calcium and what else should I be thinking about when planning my meals? Hope you might be able to answer this.
Absolutely love your blog btw! Thanks for finding time to write every day!
Lucie
Haha that’s quite a funny story! I had a few minor mishaps in the beginning as well, but we soon learn
.
Lucika I could probably give you a very detailed analysis of all the calories & nutrients you’d need in a day, but I prefer not to. To me, it’s really counterproductive knowing how much you need of everything because it will be impossible to keep track of all of that, on a daily basis. and also, it’s not necessary. it’s important to now good sources for every mineral, and eat very varied. also important is that the majority of your diet is healthy, wholesome foods, and include plenty of green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts. build from there! if you click on the nutrition, health & well-being tab on the top of this page, you can go tot my vitamin & mineral series!
Although you do make some interesting points, I am inclined to disagree on some of them. I don’t think dairy is bad in general. It is companies who make milk and cheese devoid of nutrition. With pasteurization, it is especially disgusting because the milk farms don’t have to be as clean and the workers can be sloppy because they will just kill all the bacteria away anyway.
That is partly why I only drink raw local milk. Not only does it taste better, but I feel better for drinking that opposed to regular milk. I’ve actually been to the farm to make sure the cows looked happy…which they did. Instead of blaming all dairy, I wish consumers would be more aware of WHAT they are eating and support the small farmers who are very honest with their products and leave them in the natural state. My parents shun my whole raw milk because they have been fed the lies in the media that “fat is bad for you” and drink the skim pasteurized crap instead. For me, I think dairy should be consumed in moderation and it should be the best available. Unfortunately here in America, raw milk farms are often raided and incredibly scrutinized by the government. And even illegal in some states!
I used to be lactose-intolerant and felt awful when I drank regular milk from the store (even organic) but now I have no problems when drinking raw milk. I think it was the pasteurization that my body rejected. For me, I think soy is worse because it contains so much estrogen and can cause hormonal imbalances. But each to their own
Hi Kate, I definitely agree the processing of dairy is one of the things that makes it so unhealthy. I don’t agree that raw organic dairy is healthy by defenition, but I do agree if raw milk causes no allergies or other symptoms for a person, there’s no harm in drinking it! I still think it’s an unnatural process though
. I am actually quite surprised that with lactose-intolerance you’re able to drink (raw) milk! Do you have any idea why this might be?
the lactase in raw milk is still intact
ah of course, that makes sense! that’s pretty cool actually. another good arguement against processing, period!
First, it should be made clear that all of this is just an opinion, not in any way based in facts (since you reference just one research).
Second, I believe you are showing signs of tunnel vision. The research about diabetes could just as easily mean that people in the US and Finland are doing other things bad for them. The link with the dairy is not as obvious as it seems at first sight. And what you say about the dairy industry not needing advertisment if it was healthy simply makes no sense at all. It is, as you say, an industry. Always looking to maximise profits, therefore needing advertising.
Third, it is not clear to me why pasteurizing and processing makes the dairy bad for me.
Hi Sander, in cases I give my opinion, I clearly state this (as you can read from “in my opinion”), in most cases in this article however, I cite facts based on research. Multiple research that is, and I am not sure how you get the idea I was only citing once research.
I don’t think I suffer from tunnel vision but thank you for your concern. Again, I quote research there, I was not forming my own beliefs from things I randomly picked up. These are very large cohort studies and are very well known. Reading ‘The Chiny Study’ might clear up a lot for you, or ‘Diet for a new America’.
I don’t agree with your statement on advertising. Advertising is fine but not when using false statements. Actually, the american dairy counsel has been sued on several occations in all of which they had to retract the statements on their ad campains. This, for me, is enough to not trust them.
Pasteurizing and processing dairy, or any food for that matter, kills not only bacteria (which dairy badly needs because in industrial farming the hygiene is very bad…) but most vitamins & neutrients, and it simply alters the structure of your food, which makes it harder for your body to digest.
I hope I gave some clarity on why I wrote the things I wrote. If not, we should agree to disagree. Next time though, try and formulate your opinion less aggresive, I can’t see any scenario where this might benefit you. Drinking dairy is YOUR choice, and you have a right to, and you don’t have to defend yourself for me. If someone writes, based on opinion or cold, hard facts that dairy is bad and it sparks such an emotion in you, than you might want to take some time and think about why this is. From experience (also with myself!) emotions such as anger or jealousy for example tell you more about yourself than the person next to you.
thanks for reading!
Dear Sabine,
it is not that I don’t believe you, but that your article does not seem to have any scientific background. You say you are citing scientific research, but from the article it is not clear what research that is. Even in your reply you say ”These are very large cohort studies and are very well known”. Why not be more specific? People are much more likely to believe you when you give them something they can look up.
Also the ”in my opinion” section in the original article seems to only include the part about dairy being unnatural. But when there is no research to back you up the rest of the article is also nothing more than an opinion.
Bottom line: please stop saying this article is based on ”hard facts” or be more specific about the scientific research that you have consulted when writing this article!
ps please let’s not get in to a pointless discussion about what emotions say about you.
Sander I am pretty sure I gave you at least two examples in my last comment. Not to the direct studies, which I could look up for you if you’re so inclined, but the books that include these (and many, many more studies in the field of dairy & health). if you wish to educate yourself I highly advice to read at least one of these books, they’re readily available. otherwise I can only tell you I read a lot, for personal gain and for my studies, and I can assure you these books are based on research. if I don’t “cite” things literally this does not mean I made it up, it only means I am telling a story here making the facts that are stored in my head, more digestible for others, those who don’t feel the need to read 2-3 educational books a month next to their studies.
Personally I do value experience more than research, which is exactly why I start conversations like this. if you read the comments you can see how many people have bad experience with dairy, and also some who don’t experience this, although they drink raw organic dairy and my post was about processed dairy.
you shoudln’t believe the things I write, it should spark an interest in you to be more conscious of what you put in your body and if you need to see the research for this, there’s plenty out there!
Dear Sabine,
I was only pointing out that facts should be checkable if you want to present them as facts. Your story and the many replies here have sparked my interest in not eating dairy products. But because I have never really experienced any skin or other health related problems I will not stop eating dairy, at least for now.
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[...] I always preach this when it comes to beating the zits. I have no science to back this up, but it has worked for me, and many people I know personally or from over the Interwebz. This won’t ‘work’ for everyone but it is so worth trying. If you’re curious, simply cut out all dairy products (milk, yogurt, ice-cream, milkchocolate, etc) for 4 to 6 weeks and see what happens. If you’re still not convinced after that period, do a thorough re-introduction in which you eat abundant dairy for a week. The results will be very clear for you. (Read more about my opinion on dairy) [...]
[...] dehydrator to my raw food arsenal! I also wrote my most controversial post to date last March: The Dairy Debacle: It’s a Moo Point (make sure to check out the comment section!). I also wrote a post that seemed to touch a lot of [...]